


Coffee

by AlsyWalsy



Series: Author!Gold [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: AU, F/M, Rumbelle Showdown 2015, Treleaven
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-23
Updated: 2015-04-23
Packaged: 2018-03-25 09:46:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3805879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlsyWalsy/pseuds/AlsyWalsy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is my submission for the second round of the Rumbelle Showdown 2015. The prompts were Fanfiction, Forgetting and Romance. Thus, Author!Gold was born!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Coffee

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys enjoy, this story was written under the pen name Treleaven.

The coffee shop on the corner was far enough from the convention that most of the oddballs who turned up in ‘cosplay’ didn’t stray so far and close enough that he could walk there with his cane. He could have had the driver bring him over but a luxurious black town car pulling up would have likely caused a stir. He just wanted a decent cup of coffee not the slop that was usually on offer at these sorts of functions. He rarely attended conventions and there was a grand assortment of reasons behind that choice; not just the crap coffee.

R. Gold, the publisher had insisted that he had to put a first name on the damn series of books, was a famous fantasy novel writer who was notorious for his reclusive nature and the fact that very few people had actually seen him before. He had attended a grand total of two conventions since the start of his career over a decade ago and had not come back to the scene for eight years and five books. Now the series was complete and the demand for his presence was high. He had been talked into it and was now regretting his decision. He should have just stayed in his apartment.

There were a handful of people in the shop when he entered, cane thudding dully on the wooden floor. A couple of men in business suits rushing off with their briefcases and to-go cups, a young couple who seemed to be on a date and a group of young women over in the corner, huddled around a laptop. No obvious convention goers, good choice.  
“Can I help you?” The young woman behind the counter was too cheerful for his liking, flashing him a big toothy smile. He managed to hold back an eye roll.

“Black coffee, large, to go.” He ground out, slamming a couple of dollars on the counter. The girl’s smile faltered but she nodded and rung him up, going off to fill his order. He tucked his change in his pocket and turned his back to the counter just as the women in the corner erupted in giggles.

Three young women were huddled around a single laptop screen, all three leaning in to read whatever was on the screen. To his eyes it seemed to be lines of text. The middle woman had long chestnut curls, a blonde sat to her right and a dark short-haired woman sat to her left. A coffee was placed to his left and he picked it up, intending on leaving the shop when he heard them.

“This is amazing, Belle, I didn’t realise you could write!” The dark haired woman gave her friend a hug around the shoulders.

“It’s not really writing, I mean, they aren’t my characters. I just put them in a different situation.. Gold didn’t write much on romance but I felt like Garrett and Sophia had so much more chemistry. I couldn’t help myself!” The women laughed again.

Gold stopped after a few steps and looked over the shoulder of this ‘Belle’ woman. He could read the lines on the screen now and was surprised to find that the subject matter was, in fact, a fanfiction based on his own works. This woman could write pretty well, if these couple of hundred words were anything to go by. He was distracted from his reading by the door of the shop opening.

“Here you are!” Two blonde men crossed to the table and Gold veered off as though he were going to take a seat a few tables over. He settled at a table so that he could watch them from an angle. Though, he refused to admit that his interest had been caught by this little group. “We were looking for you guys for ages. You were supposed to meet us at the park half an hour ago.”

“Sorry!” The blonde and her dark haired friend stood up to greet the two men with an embrace and a kiss. Their boyfriends. No one for this Belle, he noticed.

“We got distracted.” The blonde admitted guiltily, draping her arms around her boyfriend’s shoulders. “We’re not late for lunch, though?”

“No, no, we will always wait.”

“Aww, David.” The dark haired girl cooed at her boyfriend. “You and Thomas are so sweet. Belle, are you sure you don’t want to come with us? Just for a quick bite?”

“No, Mary Margaret, but thank you for the offer. I should really get going, I don’t want to miss Gold’s talk. It starts in.. Oh my, 20 minutes!” She had checked the time on her laptop and quickly closed it, shoving it into a bag.

“You have plenty of time, I wouldn’t worry.” Mary Margaret assured her. “We will catch up with you later.”

“Yeah, enjoy!”

The two couples walked out of the coffee shop leaving Belle alone at her table to finish packing up her things. Gold took this as his cue to leave also and lifted his coffee to follow the group. Life did not wish to make things easy for him, however.

He was passing the girl when she chose that exact moment to get up from the table. The pair collided; Belle walked right into his side and knocked the cane clean from his hand. Thankfully he managed to keep his balance, and his coffee, but not without a hiss as a jolt of pain rushed up through his ankle.

“Oh, I am so sorry!” She immediately reached down to pick up his cane and pushed it into his hand. “I didn’t see you coming, I didn’t mean to- Oh!”

With his cane back in hand he was able to lift his weight off his foot again and he reached past her to put his coffee down on the small table she had vacated. “I am aware you didn’t mean to, no harm done.”

“Y- you’re him, aren’t you?”

He looked to her face and found she was staring at him with wide eyes of the most beautiful shade of blue he had ever seen. Her beauty took him off guard for a moment, rendering him speechless. Seeing as he wasn’t about to respond, she spoke again.

“You’re R. Gold, the writer of the Complicated-“

“Yes, yes I am.” He found his voice and looked down a moment to hide his face. “I am surprised that you recognise me.”

“Of course I do! You are my favourite author.” He was nearly dazzled by the brightness of her smile. “I came all the way here to hear your talk at the convention later. I- I must admit, I never thought I would run into your like this.”

A blush crept onto her pale cheeks and he found himself smiling – actually smiling – albeit just a little one. He liked this girl, for some reason, a reason he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“Just be thankful you didn’t end up covered in coffee. I trust you weren’t hurt?” Yes, he had been caused a little discomfort, but she had hit into his bony shoulder.

“No, no. I am fine.” She smiled and hesitated. “Could.. could I possibly ask you for something?”

He nodded for her to go on and explain and she turned to pull something from her bag. He immediately recognised it as a very well-loved copy of his first book. She held it reverently in her hands for a moment before offering it to him. “Would you mind autographing this for me?”

Another small smile graced his lips as he took the book from her, sitting at the table so that he could put his cane aside. “Do you have a pen?”

“Oh! Of course.”

She rummaged through her bag and presented him with a pen as he opened up the front cover. Inside was a small, worn note that stated this book had been a birthday present for her many years back, from her Mother it seemed. He ran his fingers over a few marks on the paper which seemed to be damage from tears, but made no comment. He left a respectable distance beneath the message before writing.

‘To Belle,

Thanks for not pouring coffee all over us.

R. Gold’

He allowed a moment for the ink to dry before closing up the book and handing it back.

“I had best get back to the hall before my talk begins. I trust I shall see you in the audience?” He rose from the table and headed for the door.

“Of course.” She beamed.

“I shall see you there.”

“Oh, Mr. Gold!” His hand was resting upon the door handle when he heard her call him back. She rushed to his side, holding his cup. “You were forgetting something.”


End file.
